Arkansas has hired John L. Smith as its head coach and the former Razorbacks assistant will be introduced Tuesday at a 3 p.m. EST press conference on campus.

The school announced that Smith signed a 10-month letter of agreement for $850,000 and that he will be eligible for performance and academic achievement incentives.

Smith was hired as head coach at Weber State—his alma mater—in December after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach for the Razorbacks under former coach Bobby Petrino.

Petrino was fired April 10 for failing to disclose his relationship and $20,000 in gifts to a woman he later hired as his assistant. The affair was revealed by an April 1 motorcycle crash on a rural road southwest of Fayetteville and the woman, Jessica Dorrell, has resigned.

“I am extremely pleased to welcome Coach John L. Smith back to the Razorback program as our new head football coach,” Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement. “Coach Smith brings a wealth of football knowledge, BCS conference head coaching experience, passion for the game and a close familiarity with the current team and coaching staff. I firmly believe that his selection is in the best interests of the young men in our program and will also best serve the mission of our football program and university in achieving success on and off the field in the upcoming season and in the long term.”

Smith has plenty of head coaching experience, having made stops at Idaho, Utah State, Louisville and Michigan State.

At Idaho from 1989-1994, he was 53-20 for the Division I-AA Vandals and reached the playoffs in five seasons. He was 16-18 in three seasons with Utah State before taking over Louisville in 1998, where he spent fives seasons and went 41-21 before Petrino replaced him when he left for Michigan State.

With the Spartans, Smith was just 22-26 overall and 12-20 in the Big Ten. He did earn Big Ten coach of the year honors in his first season in Lansing, Mich., after going 8-5.

He was out of coaching until joining the Arkansas staff in 2009. While with the Razorbacks, Smith was special teams coordinator and coached outside linebackers.

“I am tremendously excited to have this special opportunity to return to Arkansas and lead the Razorback football program,” Smith said Monday. “During my coaching career, I have always been dedicated to developing student-athletes to their fullest potential. In the last couple of weeks, I came to the realization I could provide guidance and stability to a program I'm extremely invested in.”

Arkansas was 11-2 last season, with its only losses coming to national champion Alabama and runner-up LSU. Arkansas finished the season No. 5, its best season-ending ranking since 1977, and returns Heisman Trophy hopefuls at quarterback (Tyler Wilson) and running back (Knile Davis).

For all of the success and expectations, however, Petrino’s tenure with the Razorbacks will likely be more remembered for how it ended.

The 51-year-old former suffered four broken ribs, a cracked vertebra and numerous abrasions to his face following the accident on his Harley-Davidson with Dorrell along for the ride. Petrino failed to tell his boss about the presence of the 25-year-old Dorrell until the police report was released.

Long put Petrino on paid leave and fired him less than a week later. The married father of four later chose not to appeal his firing, meaning he walked away with none of the $18 million buyout due in his contract along with his annual salary of more than $3.5 million.